Vilnius University and Kansai Medical University in Hirakata, Osaka (Japan) signed an agreement, creating an exchange program for young surgeons. During this program, they will learn the latest surgery techniques, used to treat pancreas, liver and biliary system diseases.

Group of scientists at Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) Lithuania have discovered a method of producing increased strength gypsum binding material using only industrial waste products. By combining phosphogypsum – fertilizing production waste, zeolite – a waste product from oil refining industry, and an activator, they have cast gypsum stone, which is twice stronger than usual.

Lithuanian Education and Science Minister Jurgita Petrauskiene is to hold on Thursday a new round of talks with trade unions on how to improve a new pay model for teachers in place since September.

A group of Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (VGTU) administration and research staff participated in the Research and Innovation Staff Exchange project HORIZON 2020 (Marie Curie Research and Innovation Staff Exchange) Cluster Development Med (CLUSDEVMED) MSCA-RISE-2014 No:645730. They implemented project secondments to project partner – Academy of Scientific Research and Technology (ASRT) in Cairo, Egypt. The National Head of the Horizon 2020 project CLUSDEVMED is Professor Manuela Tvaronavičienė.
Representatives of VGTU administration Dovilė Ulinskaitė, Viktorija Čeikutė and Valerija Bernotienė and Associate professor of the Faculty of Fundamental Sciences dr. Irina Vinogradova were welcomed by the president of the ASRT Prof. Mahmoud M. Sakr.

On 19 November, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (VGTU) and ORLEN Lietuva signed a cooperation agreement. ORLEN Lietuva is part of the Poland’s oil group ORLEN. Both parties of the agreement are of the same opinion that close links between research, studies, and business and industry are at the heart of effective progress. The new agreement ensures an active cooperation between the parties, especially in the areas of education of highly qualified staff and development of joint research.

Hella, the global producer of lighting and electronics, which has recently opened its new plant in Kaunas, has signed a partnership agreement with Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) earlier this week.

The Seimas adopted amendments to the Law on Higher Education and Research (draft No XIIIP-2540(2)), thereby adding further individuals to the list of those who may not be members of the councils of higher education institutions, thus fully depoliticising them. The amendments were passed by a total of 71 votes in favour, 10 votes against and 17 abstentions.

The students of the innovative universities in Europe think that university should educate problem solvers, thinkers, and not specialists of certain narrow area. However, they agree that universities will not disappear and teachers will not be replaced by robots. These and other ideas aroused after the discussion during a conference “Learning for Tomorrow, Today: Future Fit Universities for 2040” organised by European Consortium of Innovative Universities.

The Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) and Vilnius University (VU) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) which was formed to develop a spirit of amity and promote academic cooperation and exchange of experiences between the two institutions.

Vilnius University’s (VU) Faculty of Medicine welcomes more international students every year. This spring the first class of international students of Medicine graduated and the Faculty decided to increase the admissions. Therefore, this autumn 82 students from all over the world began their medical and dental studies in English. Five of them are from Israel, so we sat down to talk to one of them – Mayan Robbas, who says she always knew she would be a doctor.